Owner of Cafe Creates Consistency in Food, Service and Atmosphere

The everyone-knows-your-name atmosphere of this hometown café, according to owner Melonie Smith, is "like Cheers without the beer."

By ANITA TODD WHITAKERLEDGER CORRESPONDENT

DUNDEE | The everyone-knows-your-name atmosphere of this hometown café, according to owner Melonie Smith, is "like Cheers without the beer."Smith has spent the last 32 years creating that environment as the sole proprietor of Melonie's Café.Thirty-two years ago, her father, Don Heverly, discovered the space along Main Street and Smith snapped it up for $255 a month for rent. "He wanted to make sure I had something to fall back on in case my singing career didn't work out," said the Pennsylvania native. "But, at the time, I was looking at it just as a hobby."The Realtor said they would be out of business in less than four months and that no one had ever been successful in that location. That pessimistic attitude didn't rub off on the duo, who opened the doors of Melonie's Café in 1980.Years earlier, Smith said her mother, Helen, sent her to college thinking she would starve to death. But Smith had a secret up her sleeve and soon put her natural talent to work in restaurants at a Marriott and a Ramada Inn. She graduated from Florida International University in Miami with a business degree and an eye on stardom.For 18 months after the café opened, Smith led the double life of restaurateur by day and successful Disney singer by night. Business was good and customers were coming from near and far to enjoy the hometown atmosphere, good food and prices. Her father helped get the business off the ground and then stepped aside, knowing his daughter had a keen business sense."I have always felt more like a businesswoman than a cook," Smith said. "Because I do everything for the restaurant except electrical … other than that, I can do it all, from payroll to purchasing to mainte-nance."She contributes the success largely to the fact she is a working owner and always there. This allows her to ensure there is no theft, no waste and, most importantly to the customers, consistency in the food and service. "People want consistency. When you find something you like to eat at a restaurant, you go back there for it. Customers want the same thing that they liked the last time they were here," she said. "My customers know what they are getting."What they are getting most likely has a catchy name and may have even been created for a customer. One of the most popular dishes was specially created years ago for two regulars who put their request into Smith at the grill. Longtime favorite breakfast dishes, Fireman's Stir Fry and Fire Chief's Stir Fry, are named after brothers Ronnie and Jeff Tancretti, who wanted all the breakfast items put together in one dish.Smith and her husband live in Dundee, and she said running the business hasn't been a cakewalk. She was severely injured in an accident several years ago. Her husband stepped in to help at the restaurant during that time, but her parents already had passed away. Overcoming the physical and emotional pain made Smith the person she is today, she said. And that person is a much happier businesswoman, boss to five employees and restaurant owner. She also ensures, as always, to know her customers and what they want and like. Richard Howarth, 66, has been a regular customer of Melonie's since 2004, visiting six days a week. "I like the atmosphere. I have my own table in the back and they have my drink ready for me," Howarth said. "Melonie is a great person and a hard worker. She makes everyone feel welcome."Howarth is a perfect example of one of Smith's philosophies: "If we get you once, you'll be back."